Always Ready
by MidnightShadow07
Summary: "Melody Pond. River Song. Dr. Elizabeth Corday. Miranda Pond. Miranda Pennebaker. Now Dinah Drake Lance. That was the name she had taken and continue to go by. It felt almost like a lifetime in the dimension she was in, but it's only been thirty years really." One-Shot


**Always Ready**

Melody Pond. River Song. Dr. Elizabeth Corday. Miranda Pond. Miranda Pennebaker. Now Dinah Drake Lance. That was the name she had taken and continue to go by. It felt almost like a lifetime in the dimension she was in, but it's only been thirty years really. She fell in love, got married–_**again**_–had two wonderful daughters, than went through five years of hell when he thought her youngest daughter had died. Now Sara was back and, after calming her oldest daughter Laurel, the four were going to have a _**real**_ family dinner. Well, five because of Oliver Queen. No doubt her youngest daughter was as nervous as the rest of them of having that family dinner.

Well, all except Laurel whom she knew had a deep hatred and betrayal against her sister for what she did five years ago and–once Laurel figures it out–what she was doing now. The tension in the apartment was unbearable, but what can any of them do? Truthfully, the talk between her two daughters was needed, _**badly**_ and _**soon**_. She just hoped that they do it there and then so that if they wanted to kill each other she, her ex-husband, and Oliver would be able to stop them.

So, Melody did what she did best. She started asking Oliver questions, which in turn started a conversation with everyone but Laurel, who decided to just listen. Of course Melody didn't feel all that awkward until Oliver had asked her at the end of the dinner if she was still teaching. Which in turn started her ex-husband, Quentin Lance, to start telling her of her move back to _Starling City_, of able to get a teaching job real quick. Melody hated to lie to him–to _**all**_ of them–that there was someone waiting for her in _Central City_ when in reality there wasn't. She barely met Quentin's eyes, let alone her daughter's.

Oliver congratulated her as Sara told her that she deserved to be happy. All Melody was able to think about was how happy she would be if she was back with her beloved Doctor. Her husband who had thought her to be dead. That was when she noticed Laurel looking between Oliver and Sara, her hatred and betrayal growing just that much stronger. Melody prayed that she didn't see the connection, that they would all part ways–well, most of them–in good terms. But Melody knew that as soon as Laurel started to accuse not only Sara but Quentin as well, who silently asked her to stop.

Laurel wasn't going to stop, not until she got her say. It was who she was, but ever since she had left her daughter's side and the city Laurel wanted to blame everyone for her mistakes and be the victim that she thought she was. Melody wanted to say something, to make her see sense of the situation but she knew that Laurel wouldn't listen. Really, there were only two people that were able to make her listen to reason. Tommy and herself. Tommy, God rest his soul, wasn't there any longer and her daughter was too missed up to listen to herself.

Before things can get even more out of hand there was suddenly a loud bang at the front door, everyone jumping in their seats. Then that person started to pound a fist against the door, almost desperately to be heard, yelling out a name. A name that Melody hasn't heard in a _**very**_ long time, nor the voice that was yelling it.

"River! River, I need you, please! Something's happened to the Doctor! River!" the female voice yelled through the door.

With her heart in her throat, Melody quickly pushed out of her chair–ignoring the yells and cries from her family and Oliver–and literally ran to the front door. Throwing it open Melody stared at the distress woman before, watching as she took a step back as soon as she opened the door, bringing her fist down. The one that has been with the Doctor since his eight regeneration, being there when she needed to be and keeping back when she needed to. She was a woman who was also from a different dimension, looking for a way back home.

"Mia, what's happened? Where is he?" she asked desperately with fear.

Before she can answer the door opened wider to reveal her family and Oliver, looking just as confused as Mia. The woman looked to her daughter's, her eyes lighting up as she then looked towards her, and back. She smiled softly, Melody feeling herself to blush lightly as she, too, smiled at the woman. Mia knew that she was supposed to be 'dead' to the Doctor, so to see her with a family must have felt very odd for her.

"You've had kids?" she whispered, genuinely happy for her.

Melody nods, stepping out into the hall. "It's been thirty years since we last saw each other, Mia." she suddenly frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Wait, does the Doctor know you've jumped dimensions?"

Mia shakes her head vigorously, looking back to Melody with such fear in her blue eyes that the older woman couldn't help but be afraid of what's happened. "I asked the TARDIS to bring me to you. Something's happened to the Doctor; I can't _**find**_ him."

Melody's eyes widen and was about to say something when a sound was heard behind Mia, making her turn around. Mia gasps as tears blurred her vision as she stared at the person before them. Melody couldn't help but smile, having heard tales about the man that stood there, groaning with pain.

However the horrified gasps and the whispered name of 'Merlyn' from her family and friends had Melody turned to them, holding a hand up towards them before looking back at the new visitor. She knew that her family and Oliver could only stare with disbelief, then confusion as they saw what happens next. But not only that, she knew who and what Oliver and Sara were when they came back after five years. Just because she had to pretend that she was as daft as everyone else didn't mean that she really was.

After all, she _**was**_ the Doctor's wife.

The man standing before them all stood at six feet, wearing a grey-blue RAF ankle length coat that he kept open with brass buttons and a belt that tied around back. His dark blue button up shirt fit tightly across his chest with a white shirt peeking out from the top. His black pants were held up by light grey suspenders while light brown worn out dress shoes peeked out.

"Jack!" Mia cried.

She ran towards him, Captain Jack Harkness smiling widely as he opened his arms for the woman. Mia jumped into his arms, kissing his lips before hugging him tightly. The four adults only continued to stare with utter confusion, Quentin holding his gun as he had taken it out as soon as he realized who that man was. They watched as Mia fell back on to her feet, moving to his left side, confused, relieved, and overjoyed written across her face. That is until only utter confusion was etched on her face.

"Wait, Jack, _**what**_ are you doing here?"

Jack frowned, but continued to smile. "What do you mean what I'm doing here? I got a signal from the TARDIS and saw that my vortex manipulator started working again."

He pushed up his left sleeve, Mia quickly taking hold of his arm and seeing the device lights blinking in and out as the numbers rolled from zero to nine quickly. Melody frowned as well and moved forward, also taking his wrist as Mia let him go, seeing the device was indeed working. Melody knew from the stories the Doctor had told her that he had disabled Jack's vortex manipulator and the only way for it to be working again if the Doctor, himself, had made it to work again.

"Jack," both women started, looking at each other.

They saw the question that they both wanted to ask, and turned to Jack as one, the immortal man railing back slightly, afraid by the two women. It was Mia who had asked the question, seeing as she knew Jack a lot better than Melody did.

"_**When**_ are you from?"

This time Jack's frown was of utter confusion. "I just enjoyed the present the Doctor gave me. Alonso," he smirked, winking at Mia. "I want to thank him for that, by the way."

Mia gasps, covering her mouth as tears welled up again, feeling it hard to breathe. She held back the sobs that was wrecking her body, hear chest hurting from all the emotions that she was feeling as her mind replayed the tenth Doctor's goodbyes. She softly apologized, placing a hand to her stomach as the other fisted tightly to her side.

"That was the Doctor's tenth regeneration last gift to you. He was going throughout time to say goodbye to everyone that that face ever saw." Mia gasped, the tears falling faster as was her trying to catch her breath becoming harder and harder. "He even saw Rose the day before she met the Doctor and went on the adventure of the life time."

Jack swallowed thickly. "So, was that why you weren't…?"

Mia shook her head, "You would have known what was happening, you gotten to know me so damn well on our adventures. You _**are**_ my favorite companion, after all."

Jack let out a cry laugh, holding back his own tears. "So now you're looking for the eleventh?"

Mia nods, trying not to relive the last few moments of the tenth Doctor. Although his face and personality had made her fall in love with him, it was his eleventh regeneration that had taken her heart. She didn't know what it was but that Doctor…that lovely eleventh Doctor just seemed to be just so sad to the point that Mia prayed for his happiness to finally show. Calmer now, she looked over to Melody, who was frowning towards their new visitor and wondered what it was that she was thinking.

"Jack do you know that you jumped dimensions?"

Eyes widening, Mia looked to Jack. "Yeah, that's not possible! How did you jump dimensions, let alone a large gap in time?"

Jack shook his head confused, "What are you talking about?"

Mia swallowed thickly, "Jack, the Doctor is about to regenerate into the twelfth Doctor, _**years**_ after you last saw him in that bar and before you returned to your team." she stares at Jack sorrowfully, shaking her head. "God, I wish the Doctor could have been there for you when you go through with your grandchild and then the whole mess with the world."

Jack frowns with dread and fear, "What do you mean? What's going to happen to me? To my grandson?"

Mia sobs, fresh tears falling. "Spoilers," she gasped, placing a hand to her stomach once more. "But I am _**so**_ sorry! I don't know why the Doctor wasn't there to help–probably going through his own torment with the Ponds." she smiled, over to Melody, "He sees your mom, you know? Before he regenerates. The first person that the face ever saw is there until the end." Melody gasps, crying as was Mia once again. "It still hurts me to know I'll be seeing it in person very soon." she sighs, looking over to Jack, "Jack, meet Melody Pond, also known as Professor River Song, the Doctor's wife."

"Lucky you," Jack laughs with a smile.

Melody merely smiles, wiping her tears. "So, what exactly happened to the Doctor?"

Mia shakes her head, "I-I don't know. Because this is between the Day of the Doctor and the Time of the Doctor episode. You both know that anything that happens in between the episodes everything goes. Right now Clara Oswald is teaching at the moment at the same school the very _**first**_ companions taught."

"No," Melody said with a grin.

Mia laughs, nodding. "Yes."

"What? What is it?" Jack asked, looking confusingly between the two women.

"The first companions were teachers of the same school Clara is working," Mia grinned at Jack. "Companions to the _**first**_ Doctor."

Before Jack can make a comment they were startled by four voices talking as one. The three companions of the Doctor had turned to the other four in the open doorway of the apartment, all looking confused and cautiously at the two new arrivals–_**especially**_ Jack. The three companions cringed at the thought of what the other four had heard, and could possibly be thinking. They all just hoped that it won't mess up with the timeline of that world.

"I'm sorry, _**what's **_going on?"

"Who _**are**_ you?"

"Merlyn, you're supposed to be _**dead**_!"

"What the hell is going on, Dinah?"

Melody sighs, shoving a hand through her hair. "This man is _**not**_ Malcolm Merlyn, I can tell you that right now. And these two are _**very**_ old friends."

Quentin frowned, as did Oliver and Laurel, shaking his head. "How is that possible? Don't tell me that Merlyn had a _**twin**_? Is he as crazy as his brother?"

Jack frowned, looking over to Mia, who shrugged with much confusion on the situation. Who the hell was this Merlyn person and why did they think he looked like Jack? Mia knew that there can be a twin in a world opposite of theirs, the parallel world, but the world that they jumped to was _**not**_ parallel to the Doctor's. Just like her _**real**_ world isn't parallel to the Doctor's. Hers and this world is from another _**dimension**_ that will not have _**any**_ tidings to the lives of the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, but it's a bit hard to explain," Melody tells them, before looking back at Mia when her vortex manipulator started beeping.

Mia shook her head, pressing a few buttons before her eyes widen and looked up towards Melody. "He's surfaced, ready?"

Melody merely gave the younger woman her signature smile and pushed up the right sleeve, showing her own vortex manipulator. She ignored the curious looks and questions her family and Oliver were giving her, as she pressed a few buttons. Her clothes had changed from the simple ones she was wearing to a tight white leather jacket with a large brown belt around her waist, a smaller belt was wrapped around her waist and attached to the holster on her right leg, and brown leggings tucked into knee-high brown boots. Her hair, was smoothed and straightened became large and curly, while her lips had become a bright red color.

Both Mia and Jack grinned as they looked at each other before looking to Melody. Oliver, Sara, Laurel, and Quentin were all staring at Melody with surprise confusion, not able to believe what it was that they saw or even who this woman was. Because as far as any of them knew, this was _**not**_ Dinah Drake Lance that they knew!

"I'm _**always**_ ready."

**A/N: I'm stopping it here just because I knew if I were to continue it, it would become another story and I just want to keep it as a one-shot. If anyone want to continue it, be my guest, just let your readers know that you got the idea from this story. Not sure if this is really good or not, just something that came into mind when I saw the Arrow episode **_**Time of Death**_**. The other names mentioned are names Alex Kingston had played from other TV shows. Let me know what you guys think! :D**


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